When we think about a university education, we often picture large lecture halls, labs, tests, and textbooks. Study hard, get the grades, and land the job of your dreams. While these are important aspects of the post-secondary journey, there鈥檚 one聽increasingly popular聽approach to learning being incorporated into many College and University programs.
Experiential Learning聽approaches are becoming more widely accepted as alternatives or enhancements to traditional didactic (lecture-style) teaching methods. At its core, experiential learning means聽. In the context of higher education, this methodology takes on a few different forms you may have heard of:聽internships, co-ops, or work placements.
At face value, co-op terms give students the chance to聽gain experience聽in the workplace before graduating and leave school with a few more lines on their resume. When we dig a little deeper though, research shows that students who embrace experiential learning opportunities are more聽open-minded,听purposeful,听collaborative, and聽better equipped聽with the skills needed to聽听辫辞蝉迟-驳谤补诲耻补迟颈辞苍.
As a former co-op student at聽The University of Waterloo, being able to apply classroom knowledge to a 鈥渞eal-world鈥� job was聽an invaluable experience. I鈥檓 definitely a person who learns by doing 鈥撀� a touch-the-stove-to-see-if-it鈥檚-hot kind of learner. I need to experience a concept in order to feel like I fully understand it and I suspect I鈥檓 not alone in this.
As a co-op student, I learned new skills by working on projects with industry experts and saw what I studied in textbooks come alive. I wasn鈥檛 always sure what specific career I wanted to pursue, but I was able to try multiple different paths while still studying聽 Apart from great experiential learning,聽co-op was also a great way to learn what I did (and did not!) want my career to look like. It taught me workplace skills, but also taught me about myself 鈥� my strengths and my goals.
Experiential Learning at ApplyBoard
ApplyBoard鈥檚 first class of co-op students collecting donations during Refugee Week.
At ApplyBoard, we welcome new co-op students聽every four months聽across all of our teams. They get to see what working in a diverse and innovate company is like, and work side-by-side with our expert staff. They learn by doing, and in turn, head back to school with more purpose, drive, and the skills they need for the future.
Right now, 星空影视accepts co-op students from聽Conestoga College,听The University of Waterloo, and聽University of Guelph, but we鈥檙e always open to new partnerships.
If you鈥檙e currently enrolled in a co-op program at Conestoga, UW, or Guelph, feel free to get in touch with me at聽katie.kerrison@applyboard.com聽to find how you could work at 星空影视as part of your聽co-op placement!
—
Katie Kerrison
Talent Acquisition Specialist
星空影视Canada
